


Take a Little Walk Into Your Dreams With Me

by TheCarrot



Series: The Midnighter's [2]
Category: Midnight Texas (TV)
Genre: Astral Projection, Gen, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Lucid Dreaming, Manfred tries to apologize, Manfred-sitting, Olivia likes wine, The Rev is mad at him, cats are assholes, like babysitting, only for Manfred's, with wine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-10
Updated: 2017-10-10
Packaged: 2019-01-15 12:21:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12320988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheCarrot/pseuds/TheCarrot
Summary: Manfred tries to apologize for letting the tiger out on the full moon but can't pin the Rev down long enough to even talk to the man. So he takes a bit of a more drastic step and ends up having a conversation with a part of Emilio he didn't mean too.Also, the girls drink wine and baby their psychic.





	Take a Little Walk Into Your Dreams With Me

**Author's Note:**

> Hot damn... I wrote more :D

To say the Rev was understanding... would be a lie. 

Manfred ducks as he enters Home Cooking when he feels a familiar heated look at his back. Its a look he’s been feeling for the past two days and he can’t help but wince because he knows he deserves it. Hunching in a bit more into himself, Manfred stalks over to the counter where Creek is watching them disapprovingly.

“He’s not glaring at you that bad.” She whispers as Manfred leans on the counter in front of her. 

The look the psychic gives her would make her laugh if it wasn’t for the situation. The day after the full moon had seen her and Manfred curled up on the couch for most of the day; so when Olivia had cornered her yesterday and warned her about the Rev’s foul mood she could only grimace. In retrospect, the sight of the Tiger taking down that demonic hawk had been awesome, but Manfred had known the risks when he got Lem to break that chain.

The risk of pissing off Emilio.

Which, Manfred thinks, he did very well. 

Madonna stomps over next to Creek, slapping a brown bag full of food down in front of Manfred. She gives the young man a glare darker then the one Revs got on his back. “You. Fix this. Or you’ll find yourself in a heap more trouble young man.” She leaves two suitable scared people behind her. 

“So I'm thinking of leaving town.” Manfred quips and Creek just rolls her eyes, reaching out to smack his arm, careful this time of his cuts. 

“Stop already,” Creek chuckles, “Just take a chance and try to apologize to him, once you guys talk it out I'm sure he will forgive you.”

Manfred pulls his dinner a little bit closer and then points over his shoulder so Creek can see the empty seat behind him where the Rev had been. “I already tried yesterday, and again this morning.” He leans over and gives her a quick kiss on the cheek. “But don’t worry, I’ll think of something.” 

Creek shakes her head as he leaves the restaurant and heads back to work just in time to hear Madonna yell at a child to stop standing on her furniture.

\--

Manfred carries several books in his arms with his dinner sitting on top of them as he ducks out of his kitchen and into the living room. Moving carefully he pushes the couch back further against the wall with one foot and manages to sit down cross legged on the floor without dropping anything. 

Shoving a handful of fries into his mouth he buckles down and starts pouring over the old tombs around him. There has to be a way to get on a were-tigers good side. Or, baring his past relatives exploitations, on the good side of a Reverend.

Three hours later finds him sitting in the same spot, head throbbing and the books spread out around him like a hurricane had gone through the room. 

He’s got an idea though. 

It’s harebrained. 

Crazy.

Hell, it’s basically a plan fit for him as most of the things he does are crazy and harebrained. Manfred smirks however springing to his feet; he needs to get a few things. 

—

Thats how Creek finds him an hour later when she comes in the door with Olivia and Fiji behind her, their laughter cutting off when the see the mess of paper and candles the psychic is sitting in.

“Oh my god, is he okay?” Fiji exclaims rushing forward to crouch down in front of Manfred. Even Olivia looks a bit concerned as she moves to stand behind the witch. 

Creek just sighs and sits on the couch behind her boyfriend, dropping her jacket and purse as she does so. She recognizes the pose Manfred has configured himself into and has to smile. “He’ll be okay, he doesn’t do it often but I've come home a few times to see him like this. He calls it his version of Sleep Walking.” 

Fiji’s never seen a mediation like this before. She leans a bit closer, the smell of flowers hitting her and she looks around, eyes catching on two of the four candles around him. In place of wicks she sees the dried flowers and has to smile to herself.

“What is it?” Olivia asks over Fiji’s shoulder. She doesn’t like the way it looks like Manfred isn’t breathing, or the way the candlelight, even in the middle of the day, casts weird shadows over his face. 

“Lily of the valley,” The Wiccan smiles up at the blonde. “And Zinnia. One for forgiveness, the urge to make up... and the other one to signify missing someone.” She leans back against Olivia’s legs and chuckles. 

“So...he’s what… sleeping on a way to make-up to the Rev?” Olivia tilts her head to the side. “How is that going to help?”

Creek shifts over a little closer so she can see the lines pulling around Mandfred’s eyes. “He’s not actually asleep. He just calls it that, it’s more like a trance.” She explains. “He’s done it before a few times but its still weird. It takes a lot out of him too so he can’t do it for long.”

“I wonder how long he’s been like this..”

A tense silence follows Fijis comment and the three women sigh in unison. 

“No more girls night?” Olivia sighs and when the other two don’t say anything she starts stripping off her sweater. “Let the Manfred-sitting begin then.” 

“I’ll order pizza.” Creek rolls off the couch.

Fiji gets to her feet, “I”m going to get a few crystals for him.”

“I’ll get the wine.” Olivia adds heading for the kitchen.

\--

Manfred hates wandering around the spiritual plane. Hates how easy it is to get lost when everything looks black. He hates the smell of the flowers, but he knows that lightening them will keep him focused and that the essence will help him find his way to his target and back again.

If he can even come across the Rev subconscious before he gets sucked back into his body.

“If I can’t talk to you in person,” he mutters turning a sharp right when he starts to feel a warmth in the void that signals another consciousness. “I’ll just haunt your stubborn ass and apologize that way.” 

The warmth grows and Manfred picks up his pace when the scent of cinnamon and spice reach him but a sudden loud rumble behind him makes him freeze and whip around. 

Where Manfred had been expecting Emilio, he instead sees the Tiger and the surprise of it makes Manfred go down on his ass, attempting to crawl backwards. He’s not sure if the tiger is as angry at him as the Rev is and isn’t really interested in finding out; however he doesn't get far before the tiger starts prowling after him.

_‘Relax psychic. I'm not going to eat you.’_

Manfred stops. 

He actually stops. 

Score one for lack of survival instincts.

The tiger comes up to him, sitting down in front on it’s haunches and stares at the human in amusement. 

_‘You expected the preist?’_

“Ah, well...” Manfred pauses but nods. “Yeah, kinda. I-”

_‘You wish to give him an you're regrets.’_

Manfred glares at the large cat. “Oh, like it takes a mind reader to figure that out.” He pushes himself up to sit a bit straighter in front of the tiger. What is with him and cat’s with attitudes?

 _‘Indeed it does not.’_ The Were-Tiger chuckles. _‘But what it does take, is a person with very strong empathic abilities to even draw a connection with one of us.’_ Manfred eyes the tiger in confusion as it continues. _‘Now, I've tried speaking with you in the past, but to no avail. So I thought I’d ask first, what has changed?’_

“Speaking...with me?” Manfred thinks he would remember a Tiger trying to talk to him. Instead images of running for his life and hiding in his RV with cuts running along his side come to mind. “Wait! That was you trying-”

 _‘To communicate with you, Yes.’_

If Manfred ever wondered what a Tiger would look like rolling its eyes, he’s got a pretty good idea now. “You-?!” He shoots to his feet, brown eyes staring incredulously at the animal. “You clawed my side to crap! Not to mention my RV! You could have killed one of us!”

 _‘But I didn’t, and it certainly didn’t seem to stop you when you approached me while Lemuel had me cornered. Not to mention how you released us on the full moon.’_ The tiger cuts in making Manfred stop in his tracks. It gets up, muscles and fur shifting in the darkness as it stalks a wide circle around the human. _‘Now I ask, why? You weren’t receptive to my seeking you out previous and you knew it was dangerous. We could have killed people yet you didn’t hesitate to come to us for aide.’_

Manfred opens his mouth to object but finds the words lost in the void around them when he lifts his eyes to see Emilio standing before him. A rush of panic surges over him without warning and Manfred takes a step back, his legs hitting the Tigers body behind him. 

The tiger chuckles and nudges him back towards it’s human form and the psychic stumbles. 

“So why did you?” Emilio questions, gaze hard as he takes in his friend and his Were standing side by side. He’s still angry with Manfred but more curious at this exchange in general, it shouldn’t be possible. Then again Joe is always telling him that Manfred likes to do the impossible. 

“I-” Manfred rubs his sweaty palms on his jeans and wishes looking around for a distraction was feasible at the moment. It actually works though, when he feels the missing gap on his middle finger where his ring used to sit. Oh, he thinks before holding his hand up to inspect it. “It was my ring.”

 _‘Hm?’_ The tiger seems to smirk at Manfred’s discovery. _‘One of your limiters? Yes, I suppose that would explain why you can understand me now.’_

Emilio glares at the Tiger for a moment. “Manfred suddenly gaining the ability to hear the voices of animals is no-”

 _‘Regaining my dear Emilio, regaining. Not the first one he’s gotten back since coming to Midnight either I suspect.’_ The tiger looks between his human form and the man he’s starting to enjoy taunting. _‘I suspect that those empathic abilities are letting him sense a bit more to some people then he realizes.’_

The Reverend shakes his head, years he’s had to put up with crap from the Tiger, he’s not in the mood for it now. “Empathic abilities or not, it doesn’t mean he should be letting a wild animal out on a full moon!” He chastises. 

Manfred looks at the man who has become his friend and frowns. “You aren’t a wild animal.” Emilio crosses his arms and stares at the younger man incongruently. The psychic can see the rebuttal on his lips and cuts him off again. “You aren’t. Because Tiger-you is right.”

“Excuse me?”

_‘Excuse you?’_

Both Were and human are eyeing him and Manfred has never felt like he’s put himself more on the spot in his life. If his actual body were here, he’d probably be shaking. 

“I mean it Emilio.” Manfred sighs. “If you really were that wild, then nothing should have stopped you killing me when I didn’t hear the tiger talking to me that night?”

“Tell that to the deputy-” The Rev starts but Manfred just waves that off too.

“That deputy was coming to Midnight to arrest everybody.” He confesses. Brown and yellow eyes fall on him in surprise and Manfred shrugs. “Livingston called me, before his car...exploded. She was on her way here to expose Midnight and hurt the people living here. You,” the psychic waves his hands at the other man before motioning to the tiger behind him, “But mostly Tiger-you, knew that. You killed her to protect Midnight.”

“I took a vow.” The Reverend reminds him. He doesn’t know why he feels lighter at Manfred's words, but theres a guilt still on him for her death and the worry that if he gets out again on a full moon that it won’t go as easy as last time. 

“To not kill.” Nods Manfred, “I know...and I'm sorry you did. And I'm sorry that I put you in a situation where you felt like you might have had to break that vow...but...I knew. I knew that you wouldn’t hurt anybody.”

It sounds stupid to his own ears, but now that Manfred's said it he knows the words are true. He knew Emilio wouldn’t hurt them. Has known it practically since he met the man. 

“How could you be so sure?” Emilio asks, his confusion floating around him in the darkness.

Manfred couldn’t tell him why. He barely knows himself; just a gut feeling that he put a lot of stock into.

 _‘Just tell him that you trust him idiot.’_ The tiger grumbles. _‘More than you feel Emilio would dare trust himself or anyone else._

Manfred whips around at being so suddenly outed and shooting a death glare that would make Olivia proud at the animal. He’s starting to think a tiger rug would look nice in the RV if the cat keeps up with the attitude.

Emilio frowns at the younger man, “Of course I trust you all.”

“No you don’t!” Manfred snaps back hotly, startling even the tiger with his vehemence. Emilio looks at him strangely and the psychic feels his neck heat. “You don’t. You say you do Rev, but…no. that’s not a healthy kind of trust. It’s not good. You say you trust in God to keep you on the right track but you were on it long before you became a priest. You say you trust in Lem to keep people safe from you and you trust Olivia to take you down if you ever go wild. But the only thing you’re trusting them to do is kill you!” 

“Theres nothing wrong with a back-up plan Manfred.” Emilio states, ignoring the yellow eyes of his Were form eyeing him critically. 

“It’s not a back-up plan Emilio,” Manfred says quietly, his anger from a moment before lost. He’s panting a little more then he should be and knows he’s been out of his body for too long. “It’s your only plan.”

The tiger rumbles behind him and Manfred can feel a wave of approval coming from the animal. He’s going to have to get used to this empath thing all over again, he thinks. 

“Look I know I'm the outsider here, I'm butting in where I don’t really belong. But I've come to midnight and you’ve all come to mean a lot to me; and if I can make at least one of you happier or safer before I have to leave then I'm going to do my damnedest to try.” Manfred groans rubbing over this face with both of his hands to try and fix his vision as it swirls around him. 

The scent of the flowers is fading and the psychic sighs heavily. “Look I came here to apologize, not fight.” He looks up and meets the warm brown eyes of the priest before him. “So, I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I violated what little trust you had in me.” 

Manfred turns on his heel, starting to walk away and he can’t help but throw over his shoulder;

“But I’d do it again if given the chance.” 

\--

“What do you think’s taking him so long?” Olivia grumbles from her spot laying on the living room floor in front of Manfred, her hands propping up her head as she glares balefully at the unmoving psychic. She really wants to poke him but apparently that’s a good way to disrupt some sort of cosmic force according to Fiji and honesty Olivia stopped listening about halfway through the explanation, just taking a good long sip out of her wine glass instead. 

Said witch and Creek are squished together on the couch under a quilt and flipping through a magazine, giggling back and forth at the articles. Their wine glasses still have alcohol in them and Olivia thinks they should just fork them over if they’re not going to drink them. 

The sun had set not to long ago, the pizza devoured between the three of them in no time flat and Olivia supposes she should call Lem to bring her more wine since she has no desire to get up and get it for herself. 

A knock on the front door has the three of them tensing up, Olivia sliding a knife out from her belt, before the door opens and Lem walks in as if summoned by his wife’s thoughts. 

The three women pause for a moment in surprise at the vampires appearance. Then Olivia notes the two bottles of wine her husband is holding and cheers at the exact same time Fiji and Creek shout in incredulity. 

“How did you get in here?” Fiji scrambles to her feet, horror running through her at the thought that maybe her spell to dead-proof Manfred’s house had vanished.

“Relax.” Lem holds up his right hand, partly to stay Fiji’s concern and partly to display the black ring on his free ring finger. It’s a stark contrast to he platinum ring he wears for a wedding band and Olivia is glad she convinced him to start wearing it. She doesn’t have a way to thank Manfred for it yet so she’s ignoring the issue until she can find a suitable present in return.

“Is that one of Manfred’s rings?” Creek asks curling back up in the blanket. She hadn’t bothered getting up, but she does have to push the wooden stake down further under the couch cushion as she reclines again.

“Indeed.” The Vampire smirks, moving further into the room only to have Fiji grab his hand and inspect the ring closer. Lemuel raises an eyebrow at the witch but lets her have a moment with the band. “I figured you would have run out of wine by now.” His bright blue eyes land on where Olivia is still laying on the floor and holding out her wine glass eagerly. 

Lem chuckles, kindly taking his hand back from Fiji so he can come crouch down next to his wife. “Are we having fun?” He takes a moment to eye Manfred and is about to ask what is going on, when the candles go out and the previously still man lets out a sharp intake of breath.

“Oh, it’s awake.” Olivia muses, her free hand shooting out just in time to stop Manfred’s head from colliding with the floor as the psychic folds over himself with a pained groan. “Hey Manny.”

Creek and Fiji come in a bit closer, worry lining their faces as Manfred lets out a muffled curse against Olivia’s hand; they’re surprised when she doesn’t mover her hand away to be honest.

“You haven’t moved in ohh, give or take, five hours.” Olivia goes to take a sip of her wine but frowns at the glass when she remembers it’s empty. “So yeah you’re going to hurt.” 

Next to her Lem reaches out and helps pull the psychic upright and leans him back against the couch as Creek shuffles over to give them space. “What were you doing?” Lem asks and even he has to wince when he notices the dark circles under the younger mans eyes. “Tell me you didn’t project yourself for more than three hours.” He growls reaching out to frame Manfred face with his hands. He can feel the exhaustion simmering under his skin.

Manfred just groans again and closes his eyes trying not to vomit. He can feel Creek rest a hand on the back of his neck and he concentrates on that as his muscles cramp and vision swims. The coolness of Lems hands are helping with the knives behind his temples and he hopes he remembers to breathe soon. 

“Little bit too long on that one huh?” Creek asks sympathetically. 

Manfred winces at their voices, “S-shh…” he manages to croak out. He recoils when Fiji thumps down next to him. 

“Sorry,” The Wiccan grimaces and puts her own hands over Lem’s, closing her eyes and muttering to herself for a moment.

The next breath Manfred takes is almost painless. The throbbing in his head subsides enough that he can open his eyes a fraction without the world turning on it’s axis. His muscles relax and Manfred finds himself sagging bonelessly against Lem’s shoulder. 

He must look like complete shit because Lemuel doesn’t immediately throw him off. Fiji smiles softly and strokes the back of his head before getting to her feet, “I’ll go get some tea ready.”

Creek leans forward and gives her boyfriends shoulder a squeeze before following Fiji. “I’ll give her a hand. You want anything else?”

Manfred grunts into the leather of Lemuel’s jacket and the vampire chuckles, the rumble of it vibrating into the human as Creek leaves. 

“Go take a shower, you’ll feel better.” Olivia advises, snatching the blanket Creek let fall to the floor and pouring herself another glass from a bottle no one saw her open. “We’ll order some more pizza and you can tell us all about your dreamscapade.”

Manfred wishes he had the energy to do more than groan as Lem hauls him to his feet, but he does manage to make it to the bathroom under his own power, so he chalks one up to his weird ghostly endurance and sets himself under the hot spray for as long as he can stand.

He feels somewhat alive when he returns to the living room and smiles when he sees Creek talking with Fiji over some weird concoction in a bowl on the counter. The psychic had decidedly not spent the last thirty minutes in the shower thinking about any sort of were-tiger, reverend and/or apology for the sake of his already tired mind. After all he did what he set out to do, he apologized. 

By the looks of it, his friends had done what they set out to do too; Olivia’s ordered more than one pizza, there’s a mug of steaming hot tea next to another glass filled with wine for him and Manfred has to laugh at the fact that Lem actually did bring wine with next visit.

Thankfully what none of them do is bring up any questions about his little mind excursion.

—

At least, it’s not brought it up until the next morning, when Manfred steps out to drink his coffee on his porch, not wanting to disturb the two sleeping women in his living room; (Lem had whisked a surprisingly coherent Olivia away in the early hours of the morning and Manfred had crashed shortly afterwards) only to find The Rev standing in the middle of his driveway. 

“I’m surprised to see you awake already.” Emilio states and Manfred raises an eyebrow at the other man, moving to sit on the top step of porch. 

The psychic’s still a little defensive over their talk yesterday. 

“I’m surprised you’re talking to me in broad daylight.” Manfred returns, voice a little more waspish then he means it to be. So sue him, his coffee hasn’t kicked in yet. 

“I thought over what we discussed yesterday.” 

“Oh? Well that’s good.” 

Emilio gives the younger man a flat look, one usually reserved for parents dealing with stubborn children.

Manfred sighs, taking a healthy swig of coffee and regrets not putting whiskey or something in it… he will next time. “Look, pot, kettle, black as far as I’m concerned. I have no right to be hauling anyones trust issues out into the open when I have so many of my own.” He props his arms up on his knees and eyes the priest sadly. “All I meant was…you have friends here. Ones that will help you through the full moon in other ways…” hazel eyes meet brown, “instead of just waiting around to kill you.”

Early morning bugs buzz in the silence that settles between the two but it isn’t an uncomfortable one. Emilio has to smile at the young psychic, “You know, I’m starting to think you may be right.”

A look of surprise flutters over Manfred’s features before he replaces them with an easy smile of his own, he knows he’s forgiven now. “Coffee?” He asks, pointing over shoulder into his house. An olive branch extended.

“I regrettably have a full morning,” Emilio confesses, “Lunch?” 

The counter offer stands as Emilio and Manfred both grin at each other. 

“Lunch.”

**Author's Note:**

> Don't be afraid to leave a comment, good or bad.


End file.
